The collection is open for research.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling), Ms2010-082, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling) was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 2009.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling) was completed in November 2010.
Major General John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875) began his political career as U. S. Representative from Kentucky, and eventually served as the 14th Vice President of the United States under the Presidency of James Buchanan. After his failed presidential bid in 1860, he was appointed US Senator from Kentucky. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Breckinridge was kicked out of the Senate and joined the Confederate army. He was appointed General of the 1st Kentucky Brigade. In 1864, General Breckinridge assumed command of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. He finally became the Confederate States Secretary of War in 1865. After the war, Breckinridge fled the country, fearing a trial for treason. He was granted amnesty in late 1868 and in 1869 returned to Kentucky, where he died in 1875.
The collection consists of a note to General John C. Breckinridge from W.H. Pitts for permission to distill 16 gallons of rye whiskey for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes, as it was nearly impossible to purchase it.
See also the Note to General John C. Breckinridge, Ms2009-062, and E. H. Murrell Note to General John C. Breckinridge, Ms2010-083, both at Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives.
The guide to the General John C. Breckinridge Note (Distilling) by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your- work/public-domain/cc0/).